Any time you're "buying" a phone on a plan then it'll involve a credit agreement and there'll be a bank involved somewhere. So when you walk into your local pho

Any time you're "buying" a phone on a plan then it'll involve a credit agreement and there'll be a bank involved somewhere. So when you walk into your local phone shop pick out a nice shiny handset and decide on a monthly plan (because you can't afford 800 quid plus to buy it outright) you'll be signing a credit agreement. It's the underlying finance company that this app is aimed at, not the retailer or the telco. Until that 24-48 month plan is paid up you don't own the phone, the finance company does. This is why I buy my handsets outright, not locked to a carrier (and also because of recent financial bad luck my credit rating is a total dumpster fire).